Love Me Like You Do
by closeto30
Summary: The thing was, they didn't have sex, not straight away, and at first it didn't really bother Claudia, but then she started to worry that maybe it should... The M-rated epilogue (for explicit content) to Leave Him.


**A/N: You read the label, right? M-rated... the Leave Him epilogue.**

* * *

The thing was, they didn't have sex, not straight away, and at first it didn't really bother Claudia. Steve was a gentleman, her best friend, and he treated her like she'd always imagined the love of her life would. He seemed to understand that there were still shadows of her past relationship that troubled her from time to time. Steve knew her so well already, and if Claudia was completely honest, she became a little nervous at the thought of exposing the last of herself to someone who loved her so openly. However, as the weeks went by, and the physicality of their relationship stayed limited to kissing and hugging, Claudia started to worry that maybe Steve really had mistaken his platonic feelings for her as the more romantic kind, and that he was too polite to tell her so. Concerned that this was actually the case, Claudia began to subtly try to hint to Steve that she was ready to move their relationship to the next level. She let their kisses linger for longer than they normally would, and made sure that she made bodily contact with him as much as possible, even if it was something as small as just a touch of her hand to his shoulder as she passed. She shopped online for some of the sexiest lingerie she could find, and made sure to deliberately parade past Steve in her new purchases before she climbed into bed at night. Much to Claudia's dismay, the only reaction she could muster from her partner was a kiss on her bare shoulder as he curled himself around her and went to sleep. Disappointed, Claudia eventually stopped pursuing the point, reasoning to herself that she'd rather keep her relationship with Steve the way it was than risk ruining it and losing it completely. Around them, life carried on as normal, with Claudia settling into her Caretaking duties, and Steve supervising the Warehouse and Melody and Ethan's ongoing training, and after a while Claudia forgot that she was even concerned about the lack of physical intimacy in her relationship. Frankly, things got so hectic for a while that when she and Steve found a night to just curl up to watch a movie together, Claudia was relieved that she finally was getting some time alone with her partner. Melody and Ethan were out on an artifact retrieval, so they had the B&B to themselves, and Claudia happily slid one of her favourite action movies into the DVD player before crawling onto the bed. Steve kissed Claudia's temple and wrapped an arm around her waist as she snuggled in close to him. Claudia hummed out her contentment as she rested her head on his shoulder. She barely registered the way Steve began to lightly trace patterns on her forearm, though her eyes narrowed slightly when about fifteen minutes into the movie Steve's hand travelled southward and his fingers started to tease the skin exposed by the way her shirt rode up. The light stroking continued, but Steve continued to watch the movie without making any other move, so Claudia bit her tongue. After a while, Steve's hand started to travel again, sliding completely under Claudia's shirt and gliding slowly over the skin of her ribs before coming to rest right below the fabric of her bra. Her lips twitching as she fought off a smirk, Claudia paused the movie before she turned her head sidewards so that she could look at Steve's face. He was staring at her, his brilliant blue gaze unwavering.

"Can I help you, Jinksy?" she drawled, running the tip of her tongue across her lower lip. Steve made a rumbling sound low in his throat, and lifted his other hand to stroke her cheek with his thumb.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured, and Claudia grinned bashfully.

"You really think so?" she purred. "Because I think you're the beautiful one."

"No, it's definitely you," Steve countered, leaning forward to catch her lips with his. Claudia twisted in his arms so that she could kiss him more firmly. Both of Steve's hands found their way back under her shirt, his thumbs skimming over her exposed hipbones. Claudia felt a fire start to burn low in her belly, and her heartbeat start to quicken. Of course they'd made out before, several satisfying times in fact, but something about the way Steve was touching her, and the way his lips teased her own, made Claudia wonder if maybe this time they were actually going to progress further. Steve made that contented rumbling sound again as he broke away from their kiss, a noise that Claudia had to admit drove her wild, and the redhead took the opportunity to straddle her boyfriend's hips. Lifting a hand to sweep Claudia's hair over her shoulder, Steve moved in to press his lips to her exposed neck. Claudia let out an involuntary moan as he sucked on the pressure point below her ear.

"Oh sweet goddess that's so good," she croaked out breathlessly, gripping her fingertips into the strong muscles of Steve's shoulders. Steve chuckled against her throat and then peppered the line of her jaw with light kisses. Claudia reached up and caught Steve's face in her hands. Exhaling loudly, Steve stared up at her, his crystal blue eyes shimmering with desire. Claudia drew in a shaky breath as she stroked a finger over the ridge of his brow, and then traced a soft line down his cheek.

"I really love you," Claudia whispered, trembling unconsciously as Steve pressed his palms to the planes of her lower back.

"Not half as much as I love you," Steve murmured back. Claudia leaned forward and rested her forehead against his, and then tilted her head slightly so that their lips could meet again. Steve sighed against her mouth, and their kisses intensified. A whimper of contentment escaped from Claudia's lips as she let her hands drop away from Steve's face. She could feel the back of her shirt inching higher as it was pushed upward by Steve's roaming hands, and after a while she begrudgingly broke away from their kiss so that Steve could tug the offending scrap of material over her head. Looking down, Claudia sighed as she pouted a little. Steve gave her a questioning look.

"I have much nicer underwear than this," Claudia whined, adjusting the strap of her black moulded-cup t-shirt bra. "I spent money. I was going to show you."

Steve grinned as he leaned forward to kiss the spot where her fingers had just touched.

"I like this one just fine," he murmured against her skin, and Claudia rolled her eyes. Steve took advantage of her lack of focus and deftly flipped her onto her back. The small squeal of surprise Claudia emitted echoed off the walls of their room as Steve straddled his girlfriend's hips. He gripped the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, revealing toned and taut stomach muscles. Claudia purred appreciatively at the sudden exposure, lifting a hand to admiringly stroke the outline of his abs. Chuckling, Steve leaned down to take her lips in his again. Claudia wrapped her arms around his neck as their kisses continued, and she nipped at Steve's lower lip every time he tried to pull away. Eventually Steve managed to break away from Claudia's hold, and he trailed his lips down her throat, sucking lightly on her collarbone for a moment before running his tongue across the rise of her cleavage. Claudia couldn't stop the moan of ecstasy that escaped from her, and she rolled her hips beneath Steve in attempt to get closer to him.

"What's the hurry, sweetheart?" Steve chuckled, using a finger to trace the line where the fabric of Claudia's bra met her skin. Claudia choked out a haughty breath as she bucked underneath him again.

"You've been driving me crazy for weeks," she bit out accusingly, reaching up to grab his hand so that she could lay his palm flat against her breast. A thrill ran through her as Steve's pupils dilated at the touch.

"I need you to love me," Claudia murmured, a hint of longing in her tone. Steve licked at his lips as he gazed down at her softly.

"Claud, I've been doing that all along," he whispered. A blush crept across Claudia's cheeks, and her eyes followed Steve's hands as they crept down her abdomen and towards the fly of her jeans. Breathing out slowly, Claudia watched as Steve popped the button on her fly, and then she obligingly lifted her hips so that Steve could peel the skinny jeans off of her body. She swallowed hard as she slid herself back into a sitting position, trying to slow the way her heart pounded in her chest. Steve studied her from where he knelt at the end of the bed, and then crawled up to stretch out beside her. Claudia ran her eyes over him, biting her lower lip as she reached out to skate her fingers over his pectoral muscles. Steve stroked a hand lazily down her thigh as he watched her face. Claudia hesitantly let her hand trail down Steve's body until it hit the waistband of his jeans. She toyed with his belt buckle for a moment, and then started tracing lazy circles on the skin just below his bellybutton. Steve made a rasping sound in his throat.

"Now who's driving who crazy?" he mumbled, his voice strained, and Claudia's lips twitched into an embarrassed grin as her cheeks flushed. Tapping her fingers lightly against his stomach for a moment, she finally unbuckled his belt and flicked open the button of his jeans, tugging on his zipper as her heart again sped up at the hardness she felt under her fingers. She heard Steve inhale sharply at her touch, so she pushed her hands beneath his waistband and forced his jeans downward. Steve wriggled his legs until his pants were tangled around his ankles, and then he kicked them off the bed to join Claudia's jeans on the floor. Claudia was still kneeling on the bed, watching him while she chewed on her lower lip, so Steve sat up and pulled her face to his, kissing her again. He was being so gentle, so careful, and after revelling in his warmth for just a moment longer, Claudia pulled away. Steve stared back at her, concern evident in his eyes.

"I won't break," Claudia assured him softly. She knew she was trembling, but she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She pushed up hard against him, and Steve took the hint, forcing his tongue into her mouth, licking and sucking with far more reckless intensity than before. Claudia surrendered to his touch, running her hands over his closely cropped hair and onto his shoulders as she kissed him back with just as much vigour. She let out a squeak of surprise when Steve suddenly unhooked her bra in one fluid motion.

"Anyone would think you'd done that before!" she gasped out as Steve slid the straps of the garment down her arms and tossed it towards the end of the bed. Steve grinned wickedly at her, but his lust-filled eyes were focused on her now very exposed breasts. Claudia let out a shuddering breath as she fought her instinct to cover herself up.

"You are so beautiful," Steve murmured, leaning forward to kiss her gently.

"You already said that," Claudia whispered back, allowing Steve to nudge her legs apart as he pushed her back into a reclining position. As they continued to kiss, Steve took her left breast in his palm, and Claudia momentarily blacked out as pleasure shot through her at his touch.

"God knows how long I've been waiting for this," Steve hissed, pinching her hardened nipple between his finger and his thumb. Claudia let out a shout that bordered somewhere between pleasure and pain. Her hips pitched upwards as fire lit up in her core. Steve licked slow circles down Claudia's throat until his mouth reached her right breast, and then he slowly, teasingly, ran his tongue across her pebbled peak. Claudia cried out again as Steve sucked her breast into his mouth, nipping at the tip of it with his teeth. A bolt of pleasure coursed through her, and she wrapped her legs around his hips in a vain attempt to get closer to him. Part of her desperately wanted to reach down and rip away the underwear that formed the barrier between them, but that would mean interrupting Steve, who had moved his attention to her other breast, and was currently terrorising her nipple with his tongue. Claudia settled for groaning out her satisfaction as Steve worked at her body. She was suddenly very glad that they had the B&B to themselves. Steve lifted his head as Claudia let out a particularly loud gasp.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked in concern, stroking his fingers against the underside of her tortured breast.

"Oh baby, only in all the right ways," Claudia crooned, pulling her lover toward her so that she could kiss him again. She snaked her hand between their bodies so that she could palm Steve's arousal, and he hissed against her lips at the touch. Claudia stroked him lightly through the thin fabric of his boxer shorts and watched as Steve fought back a groan of his own.

"Lie back," Claudia whispered, gently rubbing her hand up and down. Steve blinked at her in surprise.

"Claud, you don't have to..." he started, swallowing hard.

"Lie back," Claudia said more forcefully, keeping her palm on Steve's arousal as he hesitantly settled back onto the bed. Watching the man she loved with a teasing smirk on her face, Claudia slowly rolled his boxer shorts down his legs, and let out a low breath as she took in the sight his erection for the first time.

"Oh wow," she murmured, swallowing hard as she trailed her fingertips slowly up Steve's thigh. Steve gave her a worried look, but anything he was going to say died on his lips when Claudia reached out and took his erection in her hand, gripping him firmly as she began to stroke him up and down. Instead, an intense groan echoed through the room. Claudia continued her motion, watching with a sense of pride as Steve's eyes slid closed in ecstasy. Taking advantage of the fact that Steve wasn't watching, Claudia quickly leaned forward and took the head of his penis into her mouth. Steve let out a shout of surprise that turned into a moan of satisfaction as Claudia continued to work him, swirling her tongue around him as she sucked and licked at his shaft.

"Damn, Claud," he groaned, reaching up to twist his fingers into her hair. Claudia nearly reared back as fear gripped her momentarily, but she fought against the panic. Steve's touch was gentle, not forceful, a reaction of pleasure and not of maliciousness. Forcing her panic down, Claudia instead focused on the happy sounds her ministrations were causing Steve to emit. When Steve moaned out an expletive where he managed to drag out the syllables for a few extra beats, Claudia even managed to chuckle, and her body began to burn again with the desire she felt for the man beneath her. Trailing her tongue slowly upwards, she gave Steve's shaft one final hard suck, and then looked up at her boyfriend, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"You like that, baby?" she teased, subtly wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. Eyes glittering with lust, Steve lunged forward in response, pinning Claudia to the bed and attacking her mouth with his own.

"One day, I am going to return that favour one thousand times over," Steve grunted as he pushed her bangs off her forehead, "but right now..."

"Oh thank God," Claudia gaspingly finished for him as Steve slid down her body and quickly removed her underwear, pushing her legs apart to expose her achingly wet centre. Keeping his eyes locked on Claudia's, Steve dragged a finger up her slit before pushing his digit slowly and deliberately between her folds. Claudia gasped at the intrusion, and then whimpered as Steve pressed a thumb to her swollen clit and rubbed it in a slow circle.

"Steve!" she whined as he removed his finger and then returned it with a friend beside, pressing them against Claudia's walls. Crying out, Claudia bucked her hips up to increase the penetration. Steve got the hint and removed his fingers so that he could reposition himself between her legs. Her fears long banished, Claudia sighed in relief, but suddenly sat up with her eyes open wide.

"Wait!" she cried, and Steve gave her a startled look as he backed up slightly. Claudia looked at him sheepishly.

"I, um, look, I don't want to be a mood killer," she murmured, a blush creeping over her cheeks. "I know you're clean and all, and I got a check of my own after I found out I was being cheated on, but I've already proven that I can get pregnant at the drop of a hat, so..."

Steve's eyes registered recognition, and he moved quickly to reach for the drawer of the nightstand. Claudia gave him a grateful look as she watched him roll the condom into place. Steve cupped her face in his hand and kissed her as he settled back between her legs.

"I love you," he murmured, "and I will do whatever I can to make you comfortable, you understand me?"

Claudia nodded as she swallowed hard. She was shaking again, but this time it was in anticipation. Steve kissed her again before he positioned his erection at the entrance to her core, and he took a moment to meet Claudia's gaze before, with one fluid movement, he pushed inside of her. The pair let out a collective groan as they finally joined together for the first time. Claudia dug her fingers into Steve's shoulders as she savoured the feeling of him inside of her. It dawned on her after a moment that Steve was shaking slightly, and her heart skipped a beat as she realised that she was the cause. Steve let out a wobbly breath as he slowly started to move his hips back and forth. As he found his rhythm, Claudia placed her palm on Steve's cheek and made sure that his pretty blue eyes locked on her brown ones.

"You're the love of my life," she whispered, and Steve swallowed hard, so Claudia pulled him down to her, pressing her body against his as he drove into her again and again. Their voices mingled in a collection of panting moans and groans as they continued to move together, only pausing long enough to change positions so that Claudia could climb on top. Steve gripped onto her hips as he pushed up into her, and Claudia cried out in ecstasy, which in turn elicited a long and loud moan from her lover's lips. Claudia rolled her hips against him, feeling her pleasure build with every stroke. She could feel Steve trembling beneath her, and she watched as his hands moved to grip the bedclothes beneath them.

"Jinksy?" she bit out, pressing her palms to his chest as she continued to ride him. Steve's eyes flashed up at her.

"How're you doin?" Claudia panted. Steve let out a strangled whine.

"I... I'm... if... you, oh God," he stammered, his eyes practically rolling back in his head. Claudia let out a trembling laugh as the fire in her belly started to burn fiercely.

"It's ok to let go," she told him shakily, and Steve shook his head frantically.

"Not until you," he protested. Claudia pressed a thumb to his lips.

"Trust me," she whispered, pushing herself down onto him as she dug her nails into his chest. Steve let out a grunt and threw his head back as he bucked his hips upwards.

"You are a wicked, wicked woman," he growled.

"You love it," Claudia crooned, driving her hips downwards to meet his upward stroke. Steve swore loudly, slamming himself inside of her. When Claudia felt the strong kick of her boyfriend's release a few moments later, it was more than enough to drive her over the edge as well. She collapsed onto Steve's heaving chest, the wave of her orgasm still coursing through her. Steve wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back as she listened to the pounding of his heart. Eventually, as she worked to calm her breathing, Claudia looked up, and found Steve gazing back at her with fond amusement.

"Didn't know I could do that, did you?" Claudia teased, and Steve rolled his eyes.

"You really are full of surprises," Steve said to her, lifting a finger to push her bangs out of her eyes. Huffing out a happy breath, Claudia reluctantly peeled herself off of Steve's body and rolled onto the bed beside him. Steve disappeared for a moment and then returned to her side, propping himself up on one elbow and watching as Claudia arranged the sheets so that she wasn't completely uncovered.

"At the risk of sounding like some kind of pep squad, that was amazing," Claudia emphatically told her partner, and Steve's lips twitched into a grin.

"Worth the wait?" he drawled, and Claudia punched him in the chest.

"I knew you were holding out on me!" she cried, and Steve laughed as he leaned forward to kiss her.

"You didn't make it easy, devil woman," he admitted. "You almost had me a couple of times, parading around in that sexy underwear like you were on some kind of mission."

"So why wait?" Claudia asked, curling onto her side and wrapping the sheet more tightly around her. Steve trailed a finger down her nose, and Claudia nipped at it playfully as he traced it across her lips.

"This is the first time we've had the whole place to ourselves," Steve murmured. "Claud, I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable. I know the last time you did this probably wasn't pleasant..."

Claudia cut him off by leaning forward and kissing him deeply.

"I love you," she whispered, fixing him with her coffee-coloured gaze. Steve blushed slightly.

"I wanted us to be able to do it right, you know," he mumbled. "No holding back."

Claudia let out an amused little laugh as her lips twitched into a smirk.

"Oh, my love, that wasn't even my A game," she quipped, and Steve cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" he chuckled back, and Claudia grinned devilishly.

"Surely you know me better than that, Jinksy," she drawled. Steve rolled his eyes even as he smirked, and he reached out a hand so that he could hook a finger onto the sheet Claudia had covered herself with. Claudia watched with amusement as the sheet was inched slowly downwards, exposing her body once again. Her heart sped up again, but this time it was excitement that caused her pulse to quicken. Steve looked up at her with hooded eyes, the corner of his lip drawn into his mouth.

"You wanna go again?" Claudia asked, a hint of incredulousness in her tone. Steve traced a circle around her bellybutton, and Claudia felt that delicious ache start to build inside of her again.

"I wanna go forever," Steve rumbled, moving over her again and pressing his hardness against her. Claudia wrapped her legs around him as she pulled his face towards hers.

"I can handle forever," she whispered, and then gave herself over to the overwhelming desire that only a man who loved her so completely could make her feel.


End file.
